Dusk
by unique.and.proud
Summary: Jibbs AU oneshot. Could possibly be considered as fluff... if you squint your eyes and look real hard. Otherwise it's just one of those situations where wishful thinking brings about a scenario of what could have been.


**A/N: Inspired by the song 'Tonight' by Easyworld.**

_AU Jibbs,set sometime in season 3 or 4. There's not really a point to this story if I'm really being honest, it's neither smut nor fluff it was basically written because the idea came to me and I felt the need to write after not having done so for a few months. It doesn't matter really though does it, just enjoy :)_

_Apologies for any mistakes in spellings or grammar, I would blame my short absence but I've always been rubbish at those things and this is an unbetaed piece._

**Disclaimer: All the usual apply. I, unfortunately, own nothing.**

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It was dusk. The sky was just beginning to darken. There was a light breeze that ruffled the leaves in the trees and carried the noise of distant traffic to the quiet neighbor hood. Crystal like dew drops were scattered on the grass and in the intricately spun spider webs that would otherwise be almost invisible. There was a smattering of stars just beginning to shine.

She felt foolish standing in front of his house. Bottle of bourbon in one hand a take out in the other. She stood just steps away from the front door. She could leave now and he would never be any the wiser. It had been a long and stressful day. She was tired. She was hungry. And her feet longed to be massaged and then soaked in a nice warm bath.

She remained standing until the bottle became heavy in her hand and take out surely gone cold. The night had settled about her. Her feet still hurt. She took a few more steps, basking momentarily in the dull glow that shone from the lights within the house. She dumped the take out in the trash can before standing once again in front of his door. She hesitated only a moment longer before pushing the door open, then crept into the house gently closing the door behind her. She slipped her heels off, her feet thanking her immensely she carefully made her way down the stairs to the basement where he would inevitably be.

Halfway down sheltered by the shadows she stopped. And she watched. She was mesmerized by him. The tensing of his muscles as he worked the sandpaper over the boat, the glistening of the few beads of sweat that had formed at his temples, the smile that crept over his face as he caressed the smooth surface of the wood. Moments passed by. Time was lost on her.

"Gonna sit there all night Jen, or you gonna come down and have a drink?"

His voice startled her and she felt the gentle creep of embarrassment redden her face. She could picture the smirk on his face, the tone of his voice one that she both couldn't stand but loved to hear. She rose from her perch on the step and carried on down the rest of the stairs.

She held out the bourbon. His blue eyes were sparkling mischievously as he reached out to accept.

"What, no dinner?" His lips were curved up at one side and he was holding back a laugh.

She tried hard to remain blank and give nothing away. She failed.

"Stand outside that long huh?"

She made her way wordlessly toward to boat, running her hand along her surface, the aroma of the wood mixing with the scent of coffee and bourbon that lingered in the air conjuring up images in her head that had no right to be there.

She started when she felt his body press up against her back. His hand clasped around hers and unfurled her fingers from the fist they'd subconsciously formed; he placed the sanding block in her hand and curled her fingers around it. His hand never leaving hers. His body still up against hers. His head was bent forward, his face just out of sight. She could feel his warm breath tickle her ear.

They continued like that for a while. Again she couldn't be sure how much time had really passed. He had the alarming ability to drive everything else from her mind, to encompass her so completely that the rest of the world just seemed to slip away.

A car door slammed shut somewhere outside and he pulled away. She felt the loss immediately. The warmth of his body, the safety she felt when she was huddled up between his arms, the way she somehow felt whole when he stood beside her.

"Drink?"

She turned in what felt like slow motion. Noticing he now stood a few feet away and was holding the bottle aloft in his hands.

"I'll just empty out a -"

She reached out and took the bottle and took a very unladylike swig all the while her eyes trained on him and the now empty jar in his hand, the nails having rained down on the wooden bench.

She waited him out. He didn't blink. He didn't speak. And neither did she. Eventually he reached over and took the bottle, their eye contact never once wavering. She watched as his head tilted back his eyes swivelled down still on her. She saw the muscles in his face and neck move as he swallowed. She saw him then in the gloomy basement light in perfect and precise detail. He lowered the bottle and reached back to place it on the workbench. His face was turned once again to hers, a challenge in his expression.

The evening had thus far been one of little words. As indeed most of theirs were. But she watched his lips twitch. He was on the verge of saying something.

"What now Jen? Why you here?"

She new he was justified in asking such questions. It had been a long time since she'd wandered unannounced into his house. Longer still since they had spent the hours sanding in silence. It may once have been a reasonable way to spend the evening but those times were so far away now that she sometimes wondered if she hadn't dreamed them. Things had changed between them. Things were different now. Yet as these thoughts filtered through her head she couldn't get rid of the itch that she had to reach out and stroke his cheek. To lean over and press a kiss to his lips. To stretch out and wrap her arms around him.

Moments passed by, and still she couldn't move, she couldn't speak.

"What do you want Jenny?"

The way he said it then. The way his voice came down to an almost whisper. The way it was so unlike him but at the same time exactly who he was. The way his eyes were full of uninhibited emotion. The way he breathed her name like she was the most precious thing in the world. All these things wrapped in one simple question unravelled her in a way she hadn't allowed herself to do in so many years.

She stepped forward in the skip of a heartbeat. Their bodies were close. Almost touching. A sliver of air separating them. The air they were breathing was the same air. Her eyes searched his. For what she wasn't quite sure. Until she found it.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt him still beneath her touch. In that second she wasn't sure if either of them were breathing.

Her lips grazed his ear. And she wasn't sure if the shiver that reverberated through their bodies came from him or from her.

"You and me"

She pulled back a fraction not daring to look into his eyes she lay her head on his chest.

He pulled back, not away, just enough. He tilted her head up by the chin and pressed his lips to hers. It was everything and nothing like she remembered. It was soft and gentle but all consuming. His lips tasted of bourbon and they brought fourth memories of the past and images of the future.

His lips lingered on hers for longer than either of them had probably intended but not long enough for her.

He pressed a kiss to the crook of her neck. To the spot just behind her ear. To her ear, pressing it flat against her head.

"Well, you're the boss Jen."


End file.
